A Brantford-area trustee has resigned from the school board after being targeted in provincial legislation that would have thrown him out of office for not paying back his share of a controversial Italy trip.
“We respect Trustee (Mark) Watson’s decision to step down from the board and will move forward, collaboratively, with a continued focus on teaching and learning, student well-being, and the strategic priorities that guide our Catholic school system,” Chair Carol Luciani said in a statement, posted Friday on the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board’s website.
The resignation takes effect once approved at Tuesday’s board meeting.
The unprecedented proposed legislation, introduced Monday by Education Minister Paul Calandra, seeks to fire Watson from the board and ban him from running until 2030.
In a statement, Calandra said it was “unfortunate our government had to introduce legislation for Mr. Watson to finally do the right thing. His resignation was long overdue.”
On the 2024 summer trip, Watson and three other trustees flew first-class, filed for pricey meals with booze and purchased statues and artwork for a new school. Those costs, along with legal and public relations bills following the public outcry, cost the board about $190,000 in total.
The province later intervened, ordering a report on the issue and settling on repayments of about $12,000 per trustee. Watson was the only one of the group not to fully reimburse the board.
The report said he had paid about $1,200 but it is unclear if he made any further instalments.
Calandra said he plans to push on with the legislation to send “a clear message that our government will always protect accountability and integrity in education.”
However, he added that Watson “still owes the board thousands in taxpayer dollars, and I expect him to pay it back.”
The Star’s attempts to contact Watson via the board were unsuccessful.
